A Lovely Pirate Pair Part II: Meiki
by Kaizoku-sensei
Summary: Balthier returns for Kaizoku, and the two of them discover something very important. *gasp* BalthierOC


_song credits: "The Unwinding Cable Car" by Anberlin_

_Author notes: As I was revising this, I realized that, or at least I'm pretty sure that, Balthier and the gang didn't know they would be fighting Doctor Cid at the top of the Pharaos. But, I decided that it was going to have to stay the way it was, because it worked for the story. :)_

_Hope you enjoy part 2! _

**Vaan**

"Where did you say we were going?" asked Lady Ashe impatiently.

"He won't tell any of us where it is," sighed Fran as she shook her head, staring at the ground.

It was obvious that everyone was restless. All of us--Balthier, Fran, Ashe, Basch, Penelo, our guest Reddas, and myself--were sitting in the cabin of the _Strahl_. Earlier that day, Balthier had us all board the ship, but he would not tell us where we were headed.

"I assume," Reddas mumbled, "since you're not telling us, we're not headed for the Ridorana Coast."

"Alright, you found me out. We're making a detour," replied Balthier.

Simultanously, everyone groaned. "But don't we need to hurry up and get to the Sun-Cryst?" Penelo asked.

"Would you all stop worrying? I've just got a short little stop to make first!"

Soon, I noticed that the ground below was covered in snow. Everything was starting to look familiar. Shortly after that, I realized where we were headed. "Balthier, why are we flying above the Paramina Rift?" I inquired.

"Why so many questions? Just let me handle all this." When he felt the stares of the others, he continued, "I'm just going to pick someone up."

"And who would that be?" asked Basch, clearly agitated.

"Fine!" he said, exasperated. "Do you remember when I disappeared for a week?"

No one answered. That was a subject that no one had talked about for two months. Sure, for the first couple of days after he returned, we asked questions, but he never told us anything. We didn't know who took him, if he had been held hostage, or treated because of the battle.

"You're going to pick up the person who took you," stated Penelo.

After that, no one said anything until we touched down in the frozen plains outside of the village. Once we'd exited the ship, we walked to the top of the mountain where the mysterious healer lived.

**Balthier**

Mount Bur-Omisace was gloomier than I remembered it. Rain poured from the sky, and almost everyone milling about hung their head. One merchant, a bangaa, stopped us and warned, "Best be turnin' around. Nothin' of interest to anyone here."

"He says he's come for someone," Basch told him, pointing at me.

"Well, whoever it is, I hope he's not as miserable as the rest."

I ignored him and walked on. At first, I couldn't find anyone I knew. Most were out of their tents, either working or staring off into space. Then, from behind me, came a familiar voice. "Kupo? Is that you?"

Turning around, I was quite happy to find Misha staring up at me. "Hello there!" I smiled. "Do you know where Kaizoku is?"

"Well, actually, I saw her about five minutes ago," Misha remembered, "so she shouldn't--"

Misha was cut off by a very loud shout. Every head in the area clicked to face one direction. There, standing atop a few crates, presumably so she could be seen, was Kaizoku. She seemed rather upset, and it soon became obvious why.

"Look at all of you! It's been over two months since the Imperials attacked our city, and we're acting as if it happened yesterday! Yes, it's sad that we lost innocent friends and family. But if they could see us moping about like the world has stopped and nothing else matters, what would they say? The same thing I've got to tell you: 'Shake it off! It's time to move on!'"

All was silent for one very long minute. Kaizoku then began to lower herself to the ground, but her foot slipped, and she came tumbling off the crates. "Always so clumsy, isn't she, kupo?" Misha laughed.

**Kaizoku**

_I can't believe I fell after making a speech like that,_ I thought. _How embarassing._ Of course, if gods of fate exist, they were really after me that day, because a familiar face came to my aid.

"Miss? Can I offer to help you up?" someone asked me. Lifting my eyes up revealed to me that Balthier had returned.

Face burning red, I simply held out my hand. He took it and pulled me to my feet on his strength alone. Avoiding eye contact, I muttered, "Thank you."

I felt a hand touch my face and push my head up so that our eyes met. "Kaizoku, I promised I'd come for you," he told me.

With a giggle, I replied, "I'm really glad to see you, Balthier."

Still holding my hand, he led me over to a small group of people. There were four humes--two men and two women--and a viera. Each one of them he introduced to me, saying, "This is Fran," pointing to the viera, "Penelo, Lady Ashe," pointing to the women, "Basch, and Vaan," pointing to the men. Each one of them nodded or waved in recognition

"It's nice to meet you all," I said. "My name is Kaizoku. Oh, and this," I interjected, pointing to my moogle friend (who I had just noticed), "is Misha."

"Well, Kaizoku, now that you've met my friends, are you ready to leave?" he asked.

"Yes! Give me just a moment," I told him right before I took off running. With haste, I jumped inside my tent and grabbed up what few possessions I owned--an old guitar, a sword, and my box of medical supplies.

It hit me that I may never be coming back here. Taking in the last few moments of my life on the "sacred mountain," I glanced around my familiar settings of the tent. Breathing one content sigh of goodbye, I left my old habitat and rejoined my old and new companions.

"Okay, I'm ready to go!"

Vaan led the way out of the village towards the frozen snow further down the mountain. Before setting foot into the blizzards of the Paramina Rift, I took one last glance at the top of Mount Bur-Omisace. My thoughts whispered, _Goodbye, sacred mountain._

**Balthier**

_Later, on board the ship..._

I asked Fran to take over the wheel while I go speak with someone. Of course, she had no complaints, so I left her to lead the _Strahl_. Once leaving the cockpit, I heard music. Following its tune, I found Penelo, Ashe, Misha, and Vaan sitting around Kaizoku, who was playing her guitar and singing:

_This is the correlation of salvation and love._

_Don't drop your arms._

_I'll guard your heart._

_With quiet words, I'll lead you in._

After realizing I was there, Kaizoku stopped playing and asked, "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Oh, nothing really. I just wanted to see you," I replied. She eyed me with suspision, but then continued to play and sing.

_Emotive unstable._

_You're like an unwinding cable car._

_Listening for voices,_

_But it's the choices that make us who we are_

_Go your own way._

_Even seasons have changed._

_Just burn those new leaves over._

_So self-absorbed,_

_You've seemed to ignore the prayers that have already come about._

_This is the correlation of salvation and love._

_Don't drop your arms._

_I'll guard your heart._

_With quiet words, I'll lead you in._

_Backing away from the problem of pain._

_You never had a home._

_You've been misguided._

_You're hiding in shadows._

_For so very long._

_Don't you believe that you've been deceived?_

_That you're no better than..._

_The hair in your eyes,_

_It never disguised what you're really thinking of._

_This is the correlation of salvation and love._

_Don't drop your arms._

_I'll guard your heart._

_With quiet words, I'll lead you in._

_You're so brilliant._

_Don't soon forget._

_You're so brilliant._

_Grace marked your heart._

_This is the correlation of salvation and love._

_Don't drop your arms._

_I'll guard your heart._

_With quiet words, I'll lead you in._

In the middle of the song, Vaan nudged me and commented, "You didn't tell us your new friend could sing. Or, for that matter, play any instruments."

"I didn't know she could play either," I responded. _Actually, I still don't know a whole lot about her, but I hope to find out soon, _I thought.

And then, the song was over. Everyone else left to go back to the cockpit. We were left sitting by ourselves in awkward silence. Then, as she began putting away her instrument, Kaizoku asked, "So, who are we going to fight?"

"A man by the name of Doctor Cid," I replied. "Ever heard of him?"

She paused for a moment, seeming to mull over the name. "Yes, I remember him. He was the shady man my brother used to study under."

"Your brother? What was his name?"

"Manasseh. He was so obsessed with the study of nethicite, just like the doctor. Now, he's one of the Archadian judges. I haven't seen him since that day." Suddenly, she began to cry. It shocked me to see her so sad. Even though I hadn't known her long, she had never once frowned.

"Since what day?" I prodded.

"Since the day my mother died. He was unfortunate enough to watch it happen. I guess he couldn't take it after that. So, he ran away and left me alone." Pausing, she took a breath and continued, "I was ten when all this happened."

"That must have been hard. Didn't you have any friends?"

For a minute, she stopped. "No, not at the time," she told me. "Until a month before her death, I had one really close friend. I can't remember his name or face, but we used to play together all the time." She laughed as she remembered, "I used to always call him Kupo-chan, and he gave me the nickname Kaizoku, because he said we would become sky pirates together one day."

"Kupo-chan? That's a weird nickname," I said, laughing.

Laughing with me, she responded, "Yes, well, his real name was even weirder. I made fun of it so much, and he became angry every time."

"And what _was_ his name?"

"Ffamran Mid Bunansa. He was Doctor Cid's son."

As if someone had unlocked a door with hidden memories in the back of my mind, the childhood I hadn't thought about in over ten years came rushing back to me. Clearer than ever before, I could see those days before I took on a new name.

**Kaizoku**

When I told him my friend's name, Balthier seemed suprised. What he did next wasn't in my realm of expectations. He took my hand and softly whispered in my ear, "Miyerna? Is it really you?"

_Wait a minute, how does he know my real name?_ I thought. It was something I had kept a secret from everyone, including my friends back on the sacred mountain. Then it hit me. _Could it be that this man, whom I thought I had only known for a little over two months, was actually my only childhood friend?_

**[FLASHBACK TIME!**

"_Oh, noblest of pirates! Please, save me!" I recited from my second story bedroom window._

_"Miyerna, never fear! For I, Ffamran Mid Bunansa, could never let such a beautiful maiden fall into the hands of evil!" Ffamran held out his arms and called out to me, "Jump, for I will catch you."_

_"Are you kidding me?! This is the second floor! What if I hit the ground?"_

_He looked at me with sad puppy dog eyes and said, "You don't trust me?"_

How can I resist that look?_ I thought. With that, I closed my eyes and leaped from my bedroom window. In an instant, I found myself in the arms of Ffamran, a.k.a Balthier, a.k.a. Kupo-chan. "Kupo-chan, that's the first time you've had me come out of the house like _that_." I giggled._

_The sun had just set, and both my mother and his father thought we were asleep in our beds. But, as it was customary for us to do every night, we snuck out of the house and headed down to the beach. Still holding me in his arms, he carried me all the way to the shore._

_Kupo-chan set me down on the ground, and then sat down beside me. As I took his hand, we stared into the night sky. A full moon illuminated the surrounding area, and stars glistened in the sky. "Just think," he mused, "one day the two of us will sail across the skies together."_

_"Do you really think we'll become sky pirates one day?" I asked hopefully._

_Touching his free hand lightly against my face, he replied, "I promise that one day, I'll have my own ship, and we will fly wherever we will." And then, he leaned over and kissed me. That was my first, and so far only, kiss._

"I had forgotten all about that," Balthier told me.

Sighing, I remembered, "The sad thing was you had to move away right after that. I must have cried for at least a week. But, no matter, because once my mother died, the only thing I could think about was how I was going to survive day to day."

A pause in the dialogue seemed to hold me in suspense. Then, Balthier continued, "After awhile, I realized the extent of the good doctor's obsession over nethicite. It seemed as though he loved it more than me. Finally, I became so fed up that I just left home one day, never to return."

"You know, it's ironic that, despite the fact that we'd forgotten about each other for years, you've somehow kept your promise to me. For here I am, aboard your ship, a fellow sky pirate."

"You're right," he replied. "It's amazing, isn't it?" Then, he leaned just slightly forward. I reciprocated, hoping a repeat of that moment many years ago was in store. But before anything could happen, Misha poked her head inside the room.

"Kupo, we've arrived at the Ridorana Cataract," she reported.


End file.
